Air conditioning and circulating unit



Sept. 26, 1933. s. H. DOWNS AIR CONDITIONING AND CIRCULATING UNIT Filed May 2, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 7 INVENTOR 5 W6///% figW/zf ATTIORNEY Sept. 26, 1933.

S. H. DOWNS AIR CONDITIONING AND CIRCULATING UNIT Filed May 2, 1932 q E i W E I Z4 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY 5 Patented Sept. 26, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AIR CONDITIONING AND CIRCULATING UNIT Sewell H. Downs, Kalamazoo, Mich.

Application May 2, 1932. Serial No. 608,766 18 Claims. (Cl. 183-23) The objects of my invention are: First, to provide an improved air conditioning and circulating unit suitable for use in a room. Second, to provide such a unit that canbe 5 manufactured in sections in which are installed various units for conditioning air which sections are interchangeable or may all be installed for use when desired or may be added as conditions demand.

Third, to provide such a unit that maintains the various conditioning means at substantially constant conditions and by-passes portions of the air around said units to provide the proper condition of the air that is circulated in the room.

Fourth, to provide such a unit that uses recirculated air or fresh air or both.

Fifth, to provide such a unit that is compact and has all of the necessary conditioning means 49 in one casing. 1

Sixth, to provide such a unit with special dampers.

Seventh, to provide a damper construction especially adapted for use in such by-passing units. Further objects and advantages of construction and operation will appear from the description to follow. A preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a section through the fully equipped conditioner.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation partially in section showing the unit with only one conditioning section in place.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation partly in section of one end of the unit.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of the damper controls.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fi 4.

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the damper blade.

The parts will be identified by their numerals of reference which are the same in all the views.

My improved air circulating and conditioning unit is represented at 1, having a casing 2 comprising a series of separable sections 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 adapted to be fitted together to form the single casing 2 having an open bottom. At the upper and lower edges of the sections are flanges 10 adapted to engage similar flanges on the other sections. This arrangement makes possible the use of any or.all of said sections and each is adapted to be fastened to each other section so that they may be arranged in any order as desired. The flanges are fastened together by through bolts 11. The casings are supported on a base 12 having legs 13. In the top section are installed a series of centrifugal fans 14 of any desired construction having their outlets 15 positioned to discharge air into the room. The outlets 15 may be directed to any portion of the room as desired. The fans 15 are all run on a single shaft 16, as is shown in Fig. 3, which may be driven by any suitable motor not here illus- 9 trated.

At the bottom of the casing may be a filter 17. I have merely indicated the filter unitconven- 'tionally. It may be of any desired construction of paper, fiber, wire mesh or spun glass, depending upon the use to which the device is to be put.

In section 8 above the filter is a heat exchange element 18 which is here shown as a header with circulating coils adapted to circulate either a hot or a refrigerated fluid depending upon whether it is desired to heat or cool the air. Depending from the lower edges of heater 18 are flanges or bafiles 19. The heater isspaced from'the side walls of the section 8 to form by-passes 20.

Immediately below the section 8, I illustrate my improved by-pass dampers adapted to'control' the flow of air through the heat exchange element 18 and the by-passes 20 to either close ofif the flow of air through said by-passes or said heater as desired or to proportion the flow of air between them. My improved damper construction comprises pivoted blade supports 21 pivoted at points 22 having ccunterweights 23 and carrying blades 24. The blades 24 here shown are curved and this construction is desirable because when the dampers are placed in proximity to the flanges 19 the blades are kept substantially the same distance from the flanges in whatever position they are set and prevent passage of air between the blades and the flanges, or from the heat exchange element to the by-passes. If desired, a straight blade could be used. Depending from blades 24 are flanges 25 so positioned that when the dampers which are placed to control the flow of air through by-passes 20 are in a position to close by-passes 20, the flanges 25 engage the flanges 19 to assure a complete closure of the by-passes. These flanges act as stiffening elements to maintain the blades 24 in the proper shapeand if desired similar flanges 25' may be supplied on the opposite side of blade 24 to assist in the stiffening.

Intermediate the pair of by-pass dampers is a straight blade pivoted damper having a blade 26 supported on a circular support 27 and adapted to assist in closing off the flow of air through heat exchange element is and when the by-pass dampers are in position to close off the how of air through heat exchange element 18 and allow it to iiow through the by-passes 2c, the flanges on the icy-pass dampers engage opposite edges of the blade 26 of the straight blade damper. The by-pass dampers and the straight blade damper are connected for simultaneous operation by links 28 and are provided with control means comprising a shaft 29, here shown as adapted to rotate damper 26, having thereon a lever so opcrating outside of section 9 and having a control segment 31. On the shaft or rod 29 is a shaft 32 extending perpendicularly from said shaft 29 and having thereon a sliding adjustable counterweight 33, the position of which on said rod 32 is maintained by a set screw 34.

This damper unit can be placed either side up and on either side of the heat exchange element, and the bafiies or flanges 19 extending from heat exchange element 18 extend from the side of the said element adjacent the damper.

In section a, I have illustrated an identical damper in the reverse position controlling the how or air through a heat exchange unit 35, which may be either a cooler or heater, but which is illustrated here in section 5 to be'used as a reheater to reduce the relative humidity of air after it has been cooled and saturated by sprays later to be described. This heat exchange unit 35 is spaced from the walls of section 5 to form lay-passes 36 similar to by-passes 2c and the dampers shown in section 4. operate in every respect identically with those shown in section 9. If it is desired to condition or humidif y the air, a section 7 having spray heads 37 therein can be used.

Fluid is supplied for sprays 37 and usually'will be water, although it may be brine or any suitable-fluid. The fluid maybe supplied from a conditioning unit which is not here shown, but is conventional for either heating or refrigerating the fluid or it may be tap water or untreated fluid from any source or it may be fluid re-circulated from the pan 39, which may or may not be re-heated or refrigerated before recirculation through sprays 37.

When these sprays are used and it is desired to eliminate entrained water from the-air, a section'such as section 6 with eliminator plates 38 of conventional type may be installed between the sprays and the fan. When the sprays are used, or the unit is being used for cooling, I provide a pan 39 below the unit to collect any moisture falling therefrom.

The unit may be 'used for merely re-circulating air within the room, or it may be arranged to take air from outside or from another source such as 40, or it may be arranged to take air from within the room and from the outside in varying proportions or selectively as desired. For this purpose, the unit is arranged with a connection shown at 41 to an aperture 42 leading to the other source of air or to the outside air, and having louvres 43 therein and a pivoted straight blade damper construction shown at 44 adapted to out ed the flow of air therethrough. The ends oiv the unit are, under such circumstances, sealed and the side of the unit not connected by 41 to the other source or air is provided with a damper construction 45 similar to that shown at 44 and the dampers are connected with link 16 for simultaneous movement to selectively out ofi one 0;,

menace the other source of air or to proportion the flow of air irom both sources.

it have illustrated my unit witha hand control but, as is obvious, it can be used with any auto inatic or hand control. The proportioning oi the air passing through the heat exchange unit it or 35 and the by-passes 2o or 36 can be controlled by thermostats or humidistats placed either in the outlet 15 of the fan or at a place in the room, or in the inlet to the unit casing or at the inlet from the outside or other source, or within the unit as may be desired.

In conjunction with the control of the condi= tion'of the air by proportioning the air passing through the heat exchange units and the bypasses or for use entirely without the proportioning to determine the final condition of the air coming from the apparatus, controls may be provided to control the temperature or condition of the heatexchange units and the sprays. rnostatsor humidistats located as above indicated or in any or" such locations may automatically Then control the'temperature of the heat exchange.

In operation, the fans 15 create a flow of air through the casing 2. The heat exchange unit l8 may be set to maintain a constant temperature. This may be done by the use of steam-at a constant pressure, or, ii cooling is desired, a

constant pressure evaporation within the unit is may be provided. Other means of maintaining the temperature constant can also be used. The

use oi-by-pass dampers 21 and the blade 26 of the straight blade damper determines the propor tion' of air passing" through the apparatus that passes through the unit 18. By gauging this proportion properly, the final temperature of the air beyond unit 18 is determined. A similar use of the heat exchange unit 35 and the dampers'ifi section d'again gives control of the final temper ature of the issuing air. If the dampers are not used to proportion the air passing through the heat exchange units 18 and 35, the temperature of the heat exchange units may be varied as above set forth and it is possible to either heat or refrigerate the fluid issuing from sprays 37 to change the temperature of the issuing air or to determine its humidity.

The sprays 37 in section '7 may be used only to wash the air or may be used to saturate or partially saturate the air by means or the "sprays or to cool or heat the air. either in conjunction with heat exchange units 18 and 35 or not as conditions require. When the air has passedthrough the sprays it passes through the eliminators to remove entrainedwater. v When the sprays 37 are used to aiiect the humidity of theair passing through the casing, heat exchange unit 35 is usually used as a heater to raise the temperature oi the air after it has been sprayed and impart to it the proper relative hu-= i midity. The unit 35 may be run at a constant temperature and the final temperature may be obtained by proportioning the air by-passed to the air passing through the unit 35 or the unit may be run with its temperature varied according to the demands in the room to be conditioned, If the apparatus is used in. cold weather with This may be done outside air entering as at all, it is desirable to have a heat coil located in the duct 41 or at the i I pening to to temper the air'before it reaches the .1.

position to partially cut oi! the flow of apparatus, to prevent freezing of the fluid in the pan 39 or elsewhere throughout the system and toreduce the demands on the rest of the apparatus. Such a tempering coil is conventional and I have not here illustrated it. The coniz'ol for the temperature of this heating coil can be manual and can be thermostatically governed by the temperature of the outside air or by the temperatures in the room.

I have described my invention in the embodiment preferred by me, but wish to claim the same broadly as well as specifically, as pointed out .in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Pateat is:

. 1. In a unit air conditioner and circulator, the combination of a casing, a heat exchange element spaced from two walls of said casing to form by-passes, flanges on said element adjacent said by-passes, and means for controlling the flow of air through said by-passes and said heat exchange element comprising a pair of .dampers having curved blades on pivoted supports having counterweights adapted to close said by-passes, a centrally disposed damper adaptedjto partially close of! said element, and flanges on said curved blades adapted in one position to engage said first mentioned flange and in another position to engage the blade 01 said centrally disposed damper, links connecting said dampers for simultaneous movement, and means for operating said dampers.

2. In an air conditioning and circulating unit, the combination of a casing having an opening for the admission of air, a heat exchange element spaced from the walls of said casing to form a pair of by-passes, flanges on said element adjacent said by-passes, and means for controlling the proportion of the volumes of air flowing through said by-passes and said element comprising a pair of by-pass dampers having curved blades with pivoted counterweighted supports therefor adapted in one position to cut oil the flow of air through said by-passes and in another air through said element, a pivoted damper adapted to engage said by-pass dampers in said second mentioned position to cut oil the flow of air through said element, a flange on each of said by-pass dampers adapted to engage one of said first mentioned flanges when said by-pass dampers are in the first mentioned position, means connecting said dampers for simultaneous movement, and an adjustable counterweight for all of said dampers. 1

3. In an air conditioning and circulating unit, the combination of a casing having an opening for the admission 0! air, a heat exchange element spaced from the walls of said casing to form a pair of by-passes, flanges on said element adjacent said by.-passes, and means for controlling the proportion of the volumes of air flowing through said by-passes and said element comprising a pair of by-pass dampers having blades adapted in one position to cut off the flow of air through said by-passes and in another position to partially cut oil the flow of air through said element, a damper adapted to engage said by-pass dampers in said second mentioned position to cut oil! the flow of air through said element, a flang on each of said by-pass dampers adapted to. engage one of said flrst mentioned flanges when said bypass dampers are in the first mentioned position, and means connecting said dampers for simultaneous movement.

4. In an air conditioning and circulating unit, the combination of a casing having an opening for the admission of air, a heat exchange element spaced from the walls of said casing to form a pair of by-passes, and means for controlling the proportion of the volumes of air flowing through said by-passes and said element comprising a pair of by-pass dampers having curved blades with pivoted counterweighted supports therefor adapted in one position to cut ofi the flow of air through said by-passes and in another position to partially cut off the flow of air through said element, a pivoted damper adapted to engage said by-pass dampers in said second mentioned position to cut off the flow of air through said element, and means connecting said dampers for simultaneous movement. 5. In an air conditioning and circulating unit, the combination of a casing having an opening for the admission of air, a heat exchange element spaced from" the walls of said casing to form a pair of by-passes, and means for controlling the proportion of the volumes of air flowing through said by-passes and said element comprising a pair of by-pass dampers having curved blades with pivoted counterweighted supports therefor adapted in one position to out oi? the flow of air through said by-passes and in another position to partially cut off the flow of air through said element, a pivoted damper adapted to engage said by-pass dampers in said second mentioned position to cut oil the flow of air through said element. 1 V

6. In an air conditioning and circulating unit, the combination of a casing having an opening for the admission of air, a heat exchange element spaced from the walls of said casing to form a pair of by-passes, flanges on said element adjacent said by-passes, and means for controlling the proportion of the volumes of air flowing through said by-passes and said element comprising a pair of by-pass dampers having curved blades with pivoted counterweighted supports therefor adapted to swing said blades in arcs of circles in cooperating relation with said flanges, and means connecting said dampers for simultaneous movement. 7. In an air conditioning and circulating unit, the combination of a casing having an opening for the admission of air, a heat exchange element spaced from the walls of said casing to form a pair of by-passes, flanges on said element adjacent said by-passes, and means for controlling the proportion of the volumes of air flowing through said by-passes and said element comprising a pair of by-pass dampers each adapted in one position to out 01f the flow of air through a by-pass and in another to partially cut off the flow of air through said heat exchange element, and a flange on each of said by-pass dampers adapted to engage one of said first mentioned flanges. 8. In a unit air conditioner and circulator, the combination of a vertically disposed casing having an air inlet at the bottom, a filter for air entering the casing, a heat exchange element within and spaced from said casing to form bypasses, interconnected dampers for controlling the volume of air flowing through said by-passes and said element, spray means and eliminators in said casing, a second heat exchange-element within and spaced from said casing to form bypasses and additional interconnected dampers for controlling the volume of air flowing through heat exchange element.

9. In a unit air conditioner and circulator, the combination or" a vertically disposed casing hav an air inlet at the bottom, a heat exchange element within and spaced from said casing to form by-passes, interconnected dampers for conthe volume of air flowing through said by-passesand said element, spray means and eliminators in said casing, a second heat exchange element within and spaced from said casing to form icy-passes, and additional interconnected dampers for controlling the volume of air flowing through said second mentioned icy-passes and said second heat exchange element.

10. In a unit air conditioner and circulator, the combination of a base having an opening for admission of air, a separable heat exchange section having a heat exchange element spaced from the wall thereof to form a by-pass, aseparable damper section having dampers adapted to control the volume of air flowing through said heat exchange element and said by-pass, a separable section having sprays, a separable section having eliminators therein, a second separable heat exchange section having aheat exchange element spaced from the wall thereof to form a Boy-pass, a second separable damper section having dampers adapted to control the volume of air flowing through said second mentioned heat exchange element and by-pass, all of said separable sec-= ticns adapted to be placed together to form a cas ing, and a separable section having means for causing the flow of air through said casing.

ii. In a unit air conditioner and circulator, the combination of a base having an opening for admission of air, a separable heat exchange section having a heat exchange element spaced from the wall thereof to form a by-pass, a separable damper section having dampers adapted to control the volume of air flowing through said heat exchange element and said by-pass, a separable section having sprays, a separable section having eliminators therein, all of said separable sections adapted to be placed together to form a casing, and a separable section having means for causing the flow of air through said casing.

12. In a unit air conditioner and circulator, the combination of a base having an opening for admission of air, a separable heat exchange section having a heat exchange element spaced from the wall thereof toform a lay-pass, a separable damper section having dampers adapted to control the volume of air flowing through said heat exchange element and said by-pass, all of said separable sections adapted to be placed together to form a casing, and a separable section having means for causing the flow of air through said casing.

13. In a unit air conditioner and circulator, the combination of a. base having an opening for admission of air, a separable heat exchange section having a heat exchange element spaced from the wall thereof to form a by-pass, a separable dampersection having dampers adapted to control the volume of air flowing through said heat exchange element and said by-pass, all of said separable sections adapted. to be placed together to form a casing, and means for causing the flow of air throughsaid casing.

la. in a unit air conditioner and circulator, the combination of a base adapted to receive the panacea walls oi one of a plurality of separable sections, a plurality of separable sections adapted to fit together to form a casing, at least one section having a heat exchange unit spaced from the wall thereof to form a by-pass, another section having damper means to control the volume of air flowing through said heat exchange element and said by-pass, another section having spray means, and another section having eliminators.

15. In a unit air conditioner and circulator, the combination of a base adapted to receive the walls of one of a plurality of separable sections, a plurality of separable sections adapted to fit together to form a casing, one section having a heat exchange unit spaced from the wall thereof to form a by-pass, and at least one other section having damper means to control the volume oi air flowing through said heat exchange element and said icy-pass.

iii. in an air conditioning and circulating unit, the combination of a casing having an opening therein for the admission of air, an air conditioning element having walls spaced from the walls of said casing to form a pair of Toy-passes, and means for controlling the proportion of the volumes of air flowing through said by-passes and said element comprising a pair of icy-pass dampers each having pivoted blade supports and a curved blade supported thereon to slide past a wall of said element in cooperating relation thereto, and in a path that is a curved surface passing transversely through the plane oi. said wall, each blade being adapted in one position to cut off the flow of air through a toy-pass and in another position to out off a portion of the flow of air through said element.

17. In an air conditioning and circulating unit, the combination of a casing having an opening for the admission oi air thereto, an air conditioning element having a wall spaced from the wall of said casing to form a by-pass, and a damper adapted to control the proportion of the volumes of air flowing through said by-pass and said element comprising pivoted counterweighted blade supports and a curved blade supported thereon to slide past the wall of said element in cooperating relation thereto and in a path that is a curved surface passing transversely through the plane of said wall, said blade being adapted in one position to cut off the flow of air through .said Toy-pass and in another position to cut ofi a portion of the flow of air through said element.

18. in an air conditioning and circulating unit, the combination of a casing having an opening for the assion oi air thereto, an air conditioning element having a wall spaced from the wall oi said casing to form a icy-pass, and a damper adapted to control the proportion of the volumes of air flowing through said Icy-pass and said element comprising pivoted blade supports and a curved blade supported thereon to slide past the wall of said element in cooperating relahill Hill

tion thereto and in a path that is a curved surface passing transversely through the plane oi said wall, said blade being adapted in one position to out oh the flow oi air through said by-pass and in another position to cut oil? a portion of the flow of air through said element. 

